Land Trust has record year for conservation easements
Culpeper property among 3,000+ acres statewide protected from development
The Land Trust of Virginia announced a record year of conservation easements 2021.
In 2021, LTV sta completed 16 easements for a total of 3,041 acres, compared to 1,765 acres in 2020 and 1,730 acres in 2019, according to a recent news release. These easements expanded the organization into six new Virginia counties including nearby Page and Shenandoah, plus James City, Augusta, Bath and Lee.
“We now hold 26,109 acres in conservation across an incredibly diverse Commonwealth,” said LTV Chair of the Board Childs Burden. “Included in those easements are the permanent protection of acres of forests, water corridors, farms, and important historic landmarks that suburban sprawl would permanently destroy. That is an amazing accomplishment for the future of our landscape and a testament to our work. Our sites are high for 2022.”
This comes as the group’s related national association, the Land Trust Alliance, has embraced President Joe Biden’s “30x30” campaign, calling for the conservation of 30 percent of the U.S. land base by 2030 and has engaged
land trusts across the nation to help reach this goal.
There were no new Land Trust-related easements in Rappahannock last year, but in nearby Culpeper County landowners Seth and Caroline Heald put their 21.06-acre Rixeyville property into easement through the organization. It is in the vicinity of several other conserved properties, including another parcel owned by the Heald family.
“We wanted to help preserve the rural nature of our corner of Culpeper County and help keep the Hazel and Rappahannock River watersheds clean by ensuring that best agricultural management practices are followed,” said Seth Heald. “We knew that LTV would help us dra easement language to achieve those goals and would ensure good stewardship of the land.”
There are numerous water resources now preserved on the Heald property, including over a quarter mile of a perennial stream which ows through the central portion of the property. The property also contains approximately 8.9 acres of FEMA-designated oodplain associated with the perennial stream and the nearby Hazel River, and approximately 0.65 acres of wetlands. The Heald property is in the watershed of the Hazel and Rappahannock Rivers, both State Designated Scenic Rivers, as well as the Chesapeake Bay.
“We are thrilled to work with the Heald family on their second conservation easement and further increase the density of conserved property in this area of Culpeper County,” said Sally Price, executive director of LTV. “Protecting the watershed of these important rivers and the Chesapeake Bay should be an important goal of all Virginians.”
The Heald property was the 215th easement completed by the Land
Trust of Virginia.
Some of LTV’s 2021 easement highlights include:
► Shield’s Point, an 827.9-acre property in James City County placed into conservation thanks to the generosity of landowner Hunter Vermillion. This easement was our largest easement of the year and our second largest easement ever recorded. Countless water resources were conserved including nearly two miles of frontage on the Chickahominy River, 156 acres of wetlands, and 505 acres of oodplain.
► Clear View Farm, an 87.27-acre property in Louisa County, generously donated by landowner Ed Richardson. Owned by the Richardson family since 1754, this property quali es as a Century Farm. Originally a tobacco farm until the 1970s, Clear View Farm then became a very successful Red and Black Angus cattle operation until 2010. Richardson specialized in seedstock, meaning he bred pedigreed cattle registered with their breed association. He won the Denver Stock Show with one of his top cows seven times in a row, an unheard-of accomplishment before his time.
► John Stevenson’s and Amber Bromley’s 422-acre property in Shenandoah County. This property was the site of Fisher’s Hill Battle, where the Army of West Virginia, under the command of Union General George Crook, arrived a er their secretive ank march and from where they launched an attack that would crush the confederate le and win the battle for the Union.
► Airmont Meadows, is a 78-acre property in Loudoun County generously donated by landowner, Chuck Kuhn. The property was slated to become a 23-lot subdivision but will now remain in one piece as a working farm. This is an important piece of conservation in development-stricken western Loudoun.
“This was no small feat for our sta to accomplish,” said Price. “Like other private land trusts, we have seen a rapid increase in new easement inquiries, elding more calls this year than ever before. There has been a palpable shi in the public’s mindset as we grapple with current world events. The need for nature and open space is ingrained in us all, and our work ensures these places remain for our future.”